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Everyone has a tub of ice cream or similar product in the freezer during the summer. If you ever tire of simply eating it out of a bowl or in a cone, today I offer three recipes to scoop, sandwich or whirl it into a classic, more dressed-up summer treat.

One is an ice cream sundae. My version sees the ice cream richly topped with homemade chocolate syrup, which is easy to make. The sundae then gets decadently adorned with local summer berries, which are ripe, juicy and available right now. Most sundaes have some type of nut on them and I chose pecans, which go nicely with chocolate. For added colour, I garnished each sundae with a mint sprig and for even more richness, if desired, you could pipe or dollop a little whipped cream on this divine creation.

I love ice cream sandwiches and have gotten into the habit of making them at home after whipping up a batch of cookies. That recently occurred when I made chocolate chip cookies. There were slightly domed-top and tender, making them a good candidate for freezing.

Before doing so I, of course, sandwich two cookies together with ice cream, which could be chocolate, vanilla or any other flavour you think will work with chocolate chip cookies. Once made, I set the sandwiches in the freezer to firm up the ice cream again, before individually wrapping them and keeping them frozen until ready to devour.

My last ice cream treat is for adults only: Margarita shakes. It’s a cool and creamy version of the famous cocktail that will make a fun drink on a hot summer day. To make it, lime sherbet is blended with milk, tequila and orange liqueur into a creamy green creation garnished with lime.

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between sherbet and ice cream, according to the New Food Lover’s Companion, sherbet commonly refers to a frozen mixture of sweetened fruit juice or other liquid and water. It can also contain milk, egg whites and/or gelatin. The book says sherbet is lighter than ice cream but richer than sorbet, which does not contain milk. Of course, if you add tequila and orange liqueur to the sherbet, you might not notice the difference.

Place cocoa, sugars, water and vanilla in a small pot and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer, and whisk and simmer a minute or two until the cocoa and sugars are completely dissolved into the water. (The longer you simmer the mixture, the thicker it will become.) Cool syrup to room temperature. Transfer to a squeeze bottle or serving vessel. Refrigerate until needed.

Set 2 to 3 scoops of ice cream in each of 4 chilled decorative glasses or serving vessels.

Drizzle or spoon chocolate syrup, to taste, over the ice cream. (Any leftover syrup can be saved for another time.) Divide and top sundaes with berries and pecans. Pipe or dollop some whipped cream on each sundae, if using. Garnish each sundae with a mint sprig and serve.

10 to 12 (1/2 to 3/4 cup) scoops of chocolate, vanilla or other ice cream, softened at room temperature a few minutes.

Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place the flour and baking soda in a bowl and whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chips. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until well combined and lightened. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Drop 2 Tbsp amounts of the dough on the baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. (You should get 20 to 24 cookies, depending on how evenly sized your pieces of cookie dough were.) Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 15 minutes, until light golden and cooked through. Cool cookies to room temperature.

To make ice cream sandwiches, set a cookie on a work surface, smooth side up. Set a scoop of ice cream on that cookie. Set another cookie on top of the ice cream, smooth side down. Gently press cookies together to form a sandwich. Set ice cream sandwiches on a baking sheet and set in the freezer. Repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. When the ice cream has become completely frozen again, individually wrap each ice cream sandwich and keep frozen until needed.

Margarita Shakes

Cool, thick and creamy versions of the famous cocktail. Will make a fun adult drink on hot summer day.

Preparation time: A few minutes

Cooking time: None

Makes: 2 (about 12 oz.) servings, or 3 (about 8 oz.) servings

2 cups lime sherbet (see Note)

3/4 cup milk

2 oz tequila

1/2 oz orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or triple sec

2 to 3 fresh mint sprigs

2 to 3 lime slices or wedges

Place the sherbet, milk, tequila and orange liqueur in a blender. Pulse until smooth. (Add a bit more milk if you find the shake too thick, and little more sherbet if it’s not thick enough.) Divide and pour mixture into chilled glasses. Garnish each shake with a lime slice or wedge and a mint sprig and serve.

Note: Lime sherbet is sold in the freezer section of many supermarkets alongside the ice cream. I used Island Farms brand.

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